Sister Julienne managed to make a search plan, assigning an area of Poplar to each of the inhabitants of Nonnatus House. The evacuation of the building was abandoned for the time being even though they knew they would all have to face the consequences at a later stage. Finding Trixie was a much more pressing matter and the young nurses and older nuns were secretly grateful for something to do. They had decided that half of the search party would go by foot and search thoroughly in the vicinity of Nonnatus House, while the other half took the bicycles that hadn't been left at the dance, and searched a wider area. The walkers set off and Jenny and Cynthia headed towards the bicycle racks. As they approached it Jenny stopped so abruptly Cynthia walked right into her back.
"Ouch", Cynthia cried, having caught Jenny's elbow in her chest so that the air was knocked out of her. She looked up at Jenny, irritation in her eyes. "What did you do that for?" Cynthia's annoyance turned into enquiry even as she said it, seeing the perplexed look on Jenny's face. Cynthia's question remained unanswered as Jenny started approaching the bicycle shed as though she were closing in on a terrified baby fox, caught in the headlights of a car. Her back was hunched, her steps hesitant. Cynthia followed her gaze to see what was making her act in that peculiar way. Led by Jenny's eyes she eventually found a bundle, white and green covered in grey, thrown against the back corner of the tiny shed, behind the bicycles almost entirely obscured. As they approached with lingering steps and raised heartbeats Cynthia started realizing the bundle was a person, huddled into the cracks of the wall, completely still. She gasped with the realization but was hushed by Jenny's outstretched hand.
"Hello?" Jenny's soft, tentative voice echoed into the shed and she automatically took a step back, frightened by her own noisiness. She grimaced at Cynthia and tried again, this time in barely more than a hushed mumble. "Hello? Are you alright?" The silliness of the question hit her as soon as it was out of her mouth. Of course this person wasn't alright, what a stupid thing to ask. A shiver went through Jenny's body which she couldn't explain. She had seen people in much worse states than this. She recalled Mrs Jenkins and how repulsed she had felt at the sight of her. She remembered Sister Julienne's fearlessness in approaching that wretched woman and taking her hands in spite of the stench and the deceases that were sure to live inside her. She had overcome her initial feeling of disgust at Mrs Jenkins, she had even grown to care deeply for her. She felt like she should have learnt by now, know her own strengths. She could turn a blind eye at incept infestation and inhumane living conditions. This made her reluctance to approach this mud-covered pile so much more incomprehensible to her. "Hello?" she made a third attempt. Still there was no sign of life.
"Let me try" Cynthia suggested, seeing Jenny struggling. She pushed past Jenny in the cramped space of the shed and went all the way up the corner. There was an oddly familiar smell as she bent down and placed her hand where she guessed the person's shoulder would be. She pulled it back immediately as the bundle gave a small shriek and curled up into an even tighter ball. "It's alright" Cynthia said quietly. "We can help you".
"Can we?" Jenny mumbled. There was no longer pity and worry in her voice but it was a resigned monotonous tone that reached Cynthia's ears. She looked accusingly at Jenny, unable to understand this complete change in her. Jenny was herself rather shocked at her insensitivity and couldn't explain the urge to run away. She longed for Sister Julienne to come back and deal with this unexplainably painful sight. To remove the creature, take it far away.
"Yes we can, I promise" Cynthia resumed her reassuring voice as she spoke into the shed. "Why don't you come with us into the house and we'll do what we can. Please." Cynthia's voice was pleading, not only at the helpless ball of mud but also at Jenny.
"I'm sorry, I can't" Jenny whispered as she turned on her heel and dashed up the stairs, back into the house.
"Nurse Miller? Whatever is the matter with Nurse Lee? I thought you two were supposed to be searching for Trixie?" Sister Julienne had appeared from nowhere and threw a questioning look at Cynthia, crouching in the far end of the bicycle shed. "Or have you found her already?" Her tone was on the verge of mocking but Cynthia ignored the accusing stare of the nun as a sharp pain pierced her stomach. She gasped and clutched her stomach.
"Oh no", it was barely more than a whimper and she met Sister Julienne's eyes, urging her to understand. Sister Julienne did and she dashed forward clasping her cross so that her knuckled whitened.
"Trixie? Trixie, can you hear me?" Sister Julienne's presence and authority made the bundle move and it allowed Sister Julienne to carefully take its chin between her finger and thumb and turn its face toward them. Under the dirt and the smudged make up they recognized Trixie's tear-drenched face.
I'm really honestly sorry about this. I'll try to fix it!
